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Gavin Coyle leaving court earlier today Niall Carson/PA Wire/Press Association Images
Terrorism

Man appears in court as part of Ronan Kerr murder inquiry

The man has been named as Gavin Coyle who appeared at Dungannon Magistrates Court in Co Tyrone earlier today.

Updated 5pm

A MAN HAS appeared in court in Dungannon, Co Tyrone this morning on charges relating to terrorism by officers investigating the death of PSNI officer Ronan Kerr.

Gavin Coyle, 33, was charged with possession of firearms and explosives with the intent of endangering human life, as well as articles of likely use to terrorists.

A PSNI spokeswoman said the arrest had come about as a “direct product” of the investigation into the death of Kerr, who was killed by a car bomb attack outside his home in Omagh three weeks ago today.

Coyle was remanded in custody for four weeks and will appear in court again in Omagh next month via video link.

He was one of the three men originally arrested in connection with Kerr’s murder, the PSNI spokeswoman confirmed.

Separately, officers arrested three men after a “substantial” amount of weapons were recovered from a vehicle in Keady, County Armagh yesterday

The arrests came after a cross-border operation between the Gardaí and the PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch. The men remain in custody at Armagh PSNI station.

The PSNI has warned of the ”severe threat level posed by terrorists” coming into the Easter weekend, warning of further potential attacks on officers in the coming days.

Authorities have appealed to the public for extra vigilance and to report any suspicious activity without hesitation.

Additional reporting by Hugh O’Connell